Betty Boop's story

　　Senior searches for special home

　　This is Betty Boop, one of the saddest cases Senior Dog Haven & Hospice has taken in

　　and weve taken in more than 400 sad cases.

　　Betty was left to starve and die, tied up and left on the porch of an abandoned house having spent days alone. Her life before she was left does not seem to have been full of happy memories or love. She was a broken, sickly, emaciated senior who showed all the behaviors of a dog who had given up and was barely surviving.

　　We took her in immediately. Coming to us from a shelter with few resources to care for a dog like her, we knew we had our work cut out for us.

　　From the beginning, Betty was an absolute shell of a dog, physically and mentally. The hardest part to mend on a dog is not always the obvious physical abuses. Her spirit was gone, her interactions with anyone, dog or human, was a function of a worldview consisting pretty much of: If I'm alone, at least no one will hurt me. We don't feel she was socialized, and her answers were to retreat or give a threatening bark.

　　Bettys foster mom is both a nurse and an experienced foster who takes our toughest cases. Betty had major challenges: her health, and to develop an understanding of what a happy, safe life could be. It simply did not exist in her frame of reference.

　　It was a very long and slow process of introducing simple acts of kindness through touch, soft voice and food rewards that allowed us to help her change. Betty was new to a leash, a friend, dog bedsyou name it, anything that might seem so natural and basic.

　　It took months of patience and countless vet visits for Betty to begin to put all the pieces together and rebuild her understanding of her life. Once you turn a dog like her around, there's no turning back. She has become a great companion to her foster family. She accepts all hands for belly rubs and pets. Her favorite thing is a morning walk, and then to follow you relentlessly throughout the house just to be with you. She has learned that people who take the time to accept her will be her guide for life.

　　Ms. Boop currently lives with large and small, male and female canines. Bettys foster family spent time slowly introducing the family successfully, so for an adoptive family, this is a must.

　　While in our care, we discovered that Betty is diabetic and has very limited vision. She is a dream to give her insulin to, and easily navigates her surroundings. She is housebroken, eats well and is quiet. Betty would love a quiet home where she can relax and be part of a family, including dogs who will not react if she bumps into them. Daily walks are her favorite activity.

　　Heres the hard part about Bettys care: Her meds cost $180/month. Since her rescue in January, Betty has grown and transformed into an adoptable dog with a life ahead of her. When our dogs are in foster care, they know they are almost home, but not quite. Betty is still seeking her forever family

　　one that understands how much she adds to the world by being in it.

　　If interested in Betty Boop, please complete an application at Any questions can be sent to [email protected]. Please note that because all of our dogs live in foster homes, we are unable to set up meetings with a dog unless we have a completed adoption application on file.